Friday, June 20, 2008

Cold Kefir Soup for Hot Summer Days

I start with an apology. I cannot remember where I got this recipe from. But it was in my old recipe card box, and the only note was 'Uzbek recipe?' (refering to Uzbekistan, the country in Central Asia; well, actually it said 'usbeki retsept?' on my recipe card, but you know what I mean). I don't know about that - apart from the Cayenne pepper, it sounds very Estonian to me. And on a hot summer day last week, I made this soup - it took me 5 minutes in total, and I fell in love with it all over again.

If you live in the US, you'll find kefir in Whole Foods and international food stores. Lifeway Foods does a decent one. Here's what they've got to say about kefir:

A creamy probiotic dairy beverage similar to but distinct from yogurt. Lifeway believes it offers the largest selection of kefir in the world. Low-fat or non-fat pasteurized milk is the basic ingredient in kefir. Its effervescent quality stems from the kefir culture, which contains ten active "friendly" microorganisms, compared to two or three in yogurt.

What I've got to say about this soup, is following: it takes 5 minutes to put together; it tastes fresh and refreshing; it's highly versatile - you can use any herbs you like or have around; it looks pretty gorgeous; it's good for you; it's very easy to digest :)

Mix kefir and cold water, then season with salt and Cayenne'i pepper to taste.Wash and dry the cucumbers and radishes, then cut into small cubes or slices. Chop spring onions/scallions and herbs finely. Divide between four soup bowls. (Add an ice cube to each bowl, if it's really hot outside).

We continue in English to tell you that we really like your recipes especially estonian ones ! Almost every day we look at your blog most of the times only for eyes pleasure but also sometimes to get some nice estonian recipes ! Since last year we are reading it, but today we thought that it would be nice to send you this comment to thank you for all this good mood you give to us !

To know more about us, you can see our blog about Estonia :http://estonia.blogsome.com

I've had it in Latvia (accompanied with boiled potatoes on a separate plate) and in Moldova. I've heard Russians love it and call it Okroshka. It's very good, but I think Latvians no the trick - have some potatoes on side, otherwise you want to eat something 2 hours later (it's very light).K

maybe you can get "kefir" in Polish stores - if you live in NYC or Chicago :)

there is also some Polish foof in Tesco in U.K.

P.S. If you do not have kefir, you may replace it with sour milk - take normal milk (which means that it has to be bought on the market - not in the box - pasteurization not allowed because it kills milk bacterias) - add a spoon of natural yoghurt - and leave it all in a warm place for one-two days (depending on weather and temperature) - it shall be all sour and thick - and it is now ready to drink or prepare this soup based on

remember to shake it, because sour milk starts to be divided into whey and white, milky part

Wonderful summer soup! We make it with either kefir or plain yogurt... and if using yogurt add a few ice cubes to each bowl. We also put walnuts in ours. Love the sound of yours with the fresh herbs and radishes!

I'm going to make that soup for the dinner and I'm sure it's gonna be the hit of the day. About "Kefir" I wanted to say, that in my opinion "Buttermilk" is basicly the same and you can get it from all stores at least in New York.

After you left New York, we have re-found our own "Kama". Every morning we make kama with the buttermilk and several times I have made your excellent kama-desert (with strawberries and whipped cream).

Thanks for all and have a great summer! (oh, and Margus has your US phone with him, where could he bring it?)

I love your recipe. Having grown up in Uzbekistan, I can see why you'd have this recipe labeled as "uzbeki retsept". We ate this soup very often on those very hot evenings. The no-cooking method combined with chilled ingredients makes it a perfect dish for a hot climate.